When in Rome
by freshia
Summary: Lovino Romano Vargas refuses to fall in love. When he drunkenly steals some coins out of the 'Fountain of Love' at his brothers wedding, he ends up with a little more than he bargained for. Based off the 2010 movie 'When In Rome'. AU.
1. Matrimonio

**HIIIII.**

**So this is my newest fic, and I swear I redid the ending to this chapter like 298123 times and AGH. But it's better than it was.**

**I have to proof my stuff like 40x over just to make sure it all makes sense. And then I probably still end up with typos.**

**Anyways. So this fanfic is based off the movie 'When In Rome'. I looked around for a fic based off this with Antonio and Lovino and couldn't find anything, so I decided to write it myself. xD I love that movie so much, and all the parts just seemed to... Fit. :D Which made me very happy.**

**I'll stop babbling now and let you read the story.  
**

* * *

**When In Rome, Chapter 1 - Matrimonio**

"_Ve, Fratello, I'm getting married!"_

Those words were uttered not even a week ago by Lovino Romano Vargas' younger brother.

And no, Lovino didn't throw a fit when he found out and yelled at his brother until tears formed in the younger siblings' eyes. Not at all.

Alright, maybe a bit.

But Feliciano was just a baby.

And definitely not ready to be getting married. And especially not to some guy who's name was Ludwig. _Ludwig._

That's right. He was fucking German. Who names their kid that anyways? _Germans_, that's who.

And then, to add insult to injury, he had know this guy less than a month.

A month. That's four weeks. _That's less than four weeks._

_You couldn't even grow a damn tomato plant in that time._

But even when he told his brother that, he was only laughed at.

"_When you meet the person – that special person, you just know! You should be happy for me, fratello!"_

Happy his ass.

But still, here he stood in a suit, looking at himself in a mirror.

He had to admit he did look pretty stylish in suits. Even if they were stiff and uncomfortable as fuck.

He finally broke his gaze away from the mirror, glancing at the clock. 5:45.

Feliciano's wedding was at six.

Oh shit.

Swearing under his breath, Lovino quickly grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. Jesus. He was lucky he lived so close to the damn place. He scoffed at the directions on the wedding invitation. As if he didn't know where it was – _everybody _got married out there. It was that place right in front of that fountain that tourists came to throw coins it, hoping they'd find true love or get laid or something.

Lovino almost gagged as he climbed into his car, starting the engine. _True love_. What a mushy term.

… But don't get him wrong or anything. Of course loved _existed_. He was still a romantic at heart after all, being Italian.

But it took damn well more than a month to 'fall' in love! There was none of that 'Love at first site' bullshit.

Lovino snorted at the thought. Please, he wouldn't give their 'marriage' six months, tops.

And no, he really didn't think all these mean thoughts because he was bitter or anything. To hell with that. And his stupid ex.

That had broken up with him with absolutely no warning.

In a Spizzico.

Oh, fuck that_._

Lovino was once again distracted away from his thoughts as he finally pulled up to the building. Pulling his blackberry out of his pocket, he looked at the time.

5:56.

Oh _hell_ yes. He grinned cockily to himself. He knew he would make it.

But his good mood soon passed when he remembered once again why he was here. Dammit, Lovino hadn't even ever met this stupid potato-jerk yet! What did Feliciano think he was _doing?_

He was going to ruin his fucking life!

All right, maybe that was a bit drastic, but still.

Parking his car, Lovino prepared himself to yell at his younger brother as soon as he walked in the door. Why shouldn't he? Maybe he could convince his sibling he was an idiot and should abandon this wedding ASAP.

But as soon as Lovino entered into the wedding hall, all the mean words he had built up died. Just like that.

Because Feliciano was _glowing. _Like he was emitting some kind of happy rays or something.

… Whatever. Lovino wasn't a softie. He just decided to be nice. Because it was Feliciano's wedding. Yeah.

He kept walking towards Feliciano slowly, studying him. At least he wasn't wearing a dress or something like that. Even if he was wearing white.

… Damn. That still meant he was the bride, huh?

But that aside, he didn't look too bad. His orangish-brown hair looked neatly combed (except for his one errant curl, although Lovino knew that nothing could be done about that anyways) and he just looked so damn... Happy. His caramel colored eyes were practically _sparkling._

And then there was... That. That thing beside him, standing tall and upright. He could tell immediately it had to be Ludwig, not just from the way Feliciano was hanging all over him but just the way he _looked_. He was so very German it almost hurt, with his slicked back blonde hair, brooding blue eyes and stiff posture.

It was almost like he was the damn personification of Germany itself! Snorting, Lovino walked into Feliciano's line of sight. Almost immediately his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Fratello!" he called out excitedly, waving his arms around. "Ve~! You made it!"

Lovino rolled his eyes, continuing to walk towards them. "Of course I made it. It's your wedding, dumbass."

Feliciano nodded in excitement, throwing his arms around Lovino. Lovino grunted but didn't push him away for once, figuring he should probably be somewhat nice since it was his brother's 'big day' or whatever.

The younger brother suddenly let go of Lovino and beamed at the silent German next to him.

"Oh! Ludwig, this is Lovino my older brother! Fratello, this is," Feliciano paused a moment to give the biggest smile Lovino had ever seen on him. "My soon-to-be-husband, Ludwig!"

Lovino resisted gagging at the tone of his brothers voice when he said that last part. He studied the German silently before the wurst-muncher interrupted his thoughts, mumbling a quick "Pleased to meet you."

Lovino almost laughed, but held his composure and responded with a sarcastic, "Oh, the pleasure's _all _mine."

He rolled his eyes at the German's obvious look of confusion and turned back to Feliciano.

"Is Bella here?" he asked, bored with his brother and his fiancee already. Feliciano nodded before pointing to the corner where the blonde stood, chatting with someone excitedly. That was so like her, to be so friendly. She probably didn't even know that person.

Bella was Lovino's best- No, his only friend (besides Feliciano of course). She had moved here from Belgium not quite a year ago, and worked with him at the bakery. She was the only person he knew (again, besides Feliciano) that could tolerate hanging around Lovino, almost as if she was immune to his harsh words. Lovino appreciated her because she actually had a brain, something that most people he was around seemed to lack.

"Everyone's here but him, ve..." Lovino heard his brother mumble to the German next to him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"We can just start the wedding without him." he heard the blonde reply. Man, his voice was so German it was annoying. Lovino just wanted to punch him in the face.

"But he's part of the wedding party!"

"He's just my brother's friend."

Wait. Waitwait_wait _back it up. So Lovino hauled ass the whole way here only so some idiot that was part of the wedding could show up late anyways? That was some bullshit. He narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Maybe they would cancel the wedding if this guy didn't make it...

* * *

After waiting around for about 10 more minutes, they apparently decided that this dumbass that was late wasn't worth postponing the wedding anymore for (plus they were apparently on a schedule. Figures, that German freak.) so they decided to go on ahead without him.

And so Lovino stood next to his brother, ready to lead him down the aisle because _oh God what was this world coming to?_

He glanced warily at Feliciano, who was so excited he was practically bouncing up and down. Lovino resisted the urge to smack him, and instead yelled at him to "Calm down and focus, dammit!"

And then the music started up and he was walking Feliciano down the aisle, trying to look as happy as he possibly could.

Which probably meant he was grimacing instead of smiling, but whatever.

And then they finally, _finally _reached the altar after what felt like the walk of death, and Lovino begrudgingly left his brother and walked over to his spot on the stairs. He put on his best 'grin-and-bear-it' face and waited for this whole ordeal to be over. Maybe if he just averted his eyes when it was time for the potato and his brother to kiss...

"We are gathered here today..."

Oh man. Weddings were so boring. Lovino immediately tuned the priest out, letting his mind wander a little bit. He looked around at the audience. He probably couldn't even name half of them! When did his brother get so popular?

He suddenly caught Bella's eye and she grinned widely, pointing at her face. Oh shit, had he been frowning again? Dammit. He straightened up and put his fake smile back on again.

And then the door to the wedding hall was suddenly swung open. Some guy rushed in and took a quick look around, almost as if he wasn't sure he was in the right place.

"S-so sorry I'm late!" he panted. He bent over and put his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath, his brown curls falling down around his face. After he took a few gasps of air he straightened back up and hurried down the aisle to stand next to the weird albino-looking kid that was apparently Ludwig's best man.

… Was that a Spanish accent?

Oh god. No. He wasn't going to start this. He quickly pushed out any and all thoughts about the brown-haired man that had just come in. Man, this wedding shit was really getting to him.

"A-anyway," the priest started up again, clearing his throat. "As I was saying..."

"_I never really knew that she could dance like this, she makes a man want to speak Spanish..."_

W-what? Was that Shakira? Where in the he-

Oh. Of course. The stupid guy who had come in late was fumbling with his phone, trying to get it to shut up. Lovino had to bite his lip to avoid busting out laughing. God, the guy looked so embarrassed.

… Wait, he had service in here? What the hell! Lovino sure didn't have any bars!

Using this opportunity to get a better look at the idiot, Lovino studied him. He had dark-brown, messy hair that stuck out like he hadn't brushed it since he got out of bed while still managing to look styled. How was that even possible? And you could tell he was tan. And not the fake, orangey spray-on tan you found that people on reality TV shows had, but a real sun-kissed tan. And his eyes were the most brilliant shade of green Lovino had ever see-

Wait, what. _What _was Lovino just doing? Was he... Checking him out? And mentally describing him like some lovesick teenage girl writing in her diary?

It was the wine. Had to be the wine. The little bit of wine he had before leaving the house. Oh, okay, that make sense then. He was just tipsy, that's all.

But even as the priest (who was quite visibly irritated at being interrupted twice in a row) went on, Lovino's mind kept wandering back to the man only a few people away from him. What was his name? Why was he so late to the wedding?

And what service provider did he have, dammit!

He risked another glance over in the strangers direction, noticing that the albino-freak standing next to him looked like he was about to die from holding in laughter. Well at least someone here besides him was amused.

But wow, that guys eyes. No, not the albino, but his... Friend, Lovino assumed, judging by the looks they would sometimes exchange.

Yeah, Lovino was that perceptive. Shut up.

But his little freak-friend must have noticed that Lovino was staring at them, because he leaned over and whispered something in the brown-haired guy's ear. Lovino had no idea what he said, but all of a sudden his eyes snapped to Lovino and he smiled the most blinding smile Lovino had possibly ever seen.

And _no _Lovino didn't fucking swoon, dammit!

Stupid wine.

A-and the wine was also why Lovino's face was burning! It must've been spiked or something!

"Do you, Feliciano Vargas, take Ludwig Beilschmidt to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Oh, great. Just don't watch, don't watch...

"I do!"

"And do you, Ludwig Beilschmidt, take Feliciano Vargas to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Lovino's eyes widened when he realized he was staring at the brown-haired guy again. Dammit, don't look there either!

"I do."

Lovino looked down at his shoes, feeling that curious green-eyed gaze on him.

"Then you may now kiss the groom."

He looked up at his brother just in time to see them share a quick kiss. _Why_ did he look _up? _Ugh.. Didn't that potato bastard's lips taste like wurst or something? Ew. Now Lovino had gone and grossed himself out...

And then suddenly the flashes started up. He had completely forgotten about pictures. And that guy was still staring at him..

When Feliciano got a hold of these pictures Lovino would never hear the end of it, especially when he looked so red. Damn.

* * *

Ah, wedding receptions. The icing on the wedding cake, right? When you mingle with friends, maybe even make some new ones. Meet people you've never met before, like the other family and whatnot. The "fun" part of a wedding.

Not. Lovino was bored out of his fucking _skull, _listening to Feliciano babble on about this and that. He finally stood up and walked away, deciding he had had enough of that.

And you know what? Feliciano didn't even _notice! _Some brother he was! Lovino made a mental note to give him shit about that later.

But for now he was wandering around the reception room, actually paying attention to it for the first time.

It was actually... Nice. Really nice. It had decorations everywhere and looked extremely fancy. It was absolutely pristine, too – there wasn't a sign of dust or anything anywhere.

… How in the hell did they manage to reserve a place this nice within less than a month's notice anyways?

Lovino continued to look around, so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't hear the footsteps coming up from behind him.

That were getting closer.

And closer.

As a matter of fact Lovino was so completely oblivious to everything around him that when he heard a very cheerful voice say "Hello!" to him from behind he screeched and almost jumped a foot off the ground.

"O-oh, sorry!" the owner of the voice said as soon as Lovino whipped around to see who it was. Of course, the wedding-crasher himself. "I didn't mean to startle you..." he laughed, scratching the back of his head. He grinned suddenly, holding out his hand. "My name's Antonio. And you are...?"

Lovino stared at the hand being offered to him, his heart still racing. (From the previous scare of course!)

"Lovino." he said sharply, not taking his hand. Maybe this creeper would get the hint and leave so he could study the damn architecture...

But if Antonio had noticed that Lovino didn't shake his hand he certainly didn't say anything. He only continued to smile idiotically, now shoving both of his hands in the pockets of his black slacks.

"So you must be Feliciano's brother?"

Lovino stared at him warily, before giving an irritated sigh. Didn't look like he was going to be getting rid of this dumbass anytime soon...

"How do you know my brother?"

Antonio seemed thrilled at the response, almost as if he hadn't been expecting one at all.

"Ah, well, Gilbert introduced me to him." he explained, nodding to himself.

"Gilbert?" Lovino asked, trying to sound disinterested. Antonio nodded.

"Yeah. Ludwig's brother – you know, the other best man."

Lovino's eyes widened slightly in comprehension.

"The freaky albino one?"

Antonio nodded again, this time more enthusiastically. Lovino was tempted to laugh at the way Antonio's brown unruly curls bounced around his head.

"So," Lovino began, figuring he may as well talk to the idiot while he was here. He didn't seem to be too terribly annoying anyway. Better than hanging out with his brother. "Do you have a good excuse for being really, really late for the wedding? Or are you just an asshat like that?"

Antonio almost looked offended for a moment. "Actually..." he started, giving a meek smile, "I... Collided with a goat on my way here."

Even Lovino couldn't hide his shock on that one.

"I-You-What? You hit a _goat?_"

"No." Antonio said quickly, shaking his head. "The goat hit me." he corrected. Lovino looked at him with disbelief.

"Oh, don't worry, the goat's okay. And so am I. And my bike too!"

Was this guy for real? Lovino didn't know whether to laugh or smack him.

"Are... Are you mentally challenged?" he asked, with a completely serious. The other male frowned for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"Gilbert says so sometimes, yeah."

Lovino couldn't even stop himself. He smacked his palm to his face. After rubbing his forehead a few times, he looked back at Antonio.

"Nice ringtone by the way."

"Thanks!~ It's my favorite song!"

… Apparently sarcasm was a lost cause on this idiot. Lovino rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something else, when loud music suddenly started up.

Oh great, dancing. Both the males' heads turned to the center of the room where people were now gathering.

And then a huge smile broke out on Antonio's face. He grabbed Lovino by the hand, which immediately made the Italian sputter in protest.

"W-What are you doing?" he demanded, turning red. Antonio only grinned at him.

"Come on Lovi! Let's dance!" he said cheerfully, tugging on the Italian's hand.

And somehow or another he ended up being led out to the dance floor by Antonio.

… It was the wine, dammit!

"Haha! You're pretty good at this, Lovi!" Antonio grinned, leading the flustered smaller man around. Lovino scowled.

"O-of course I am!" he snapped, "And don't call me Lovi! Dammit!"

Antonio only laughed, spinning Lovino around.

Which was unfortunate, because there happened to be a tray with wine on it that he bumped into.

Which tipped over and spilled all over the power-strip that must've held every damned light in this place, since almost instantly it was pitch black in the reception room.

The _hell?_

That was a real problem for Lovino, because he was a little scared of the dark.

Just a little, dammit! And who isn't? There are creepers, a-and rapists and ninjas that come out in the dark! It only made sense!

And what also made sense was the way he screamed like a little girl and practically clung onto Antonio for dear life. It's _completely_ justified!

Fucking ninjas!

Not that telling himself that made things any better once the lights _did _come back on and Lovino still had his arms wrapped around the dumbass.

Immediately noticing the awkward position they were in, Lovino sputtered and let go of Antonio like he had burnt him. His cheeks were practically on fire. Even Antonio's were a little red, which was amazing because Lovino didn't think it was possible to embarrass someone so stupid.

"S-Sorry." Lovino mumbled, backing away from the the larger man. Antonio looked like he wanted to say something, but was still too flustered for words and so watched sadly as the Italian walked away.

* * *

"So who was _that_?" Bella asked as she sat down next to a pouting Lovino.

"Who was who?"

Bella smirked, her blonde shoulder-length hair bouncing freely around as she did so.

"Oh, don't play dumb. You know who. Your little boy-toy out on the dance floor? The one you were holding _oh-so-close_?"

Lovino groaned, not happy to be reminded about the incident. He took another swig of his champagne.

"His name's Antonio." Lovino finally responded. Bella wiggled her eyebrows.

"_Antonio_? Unf. Sounds sexy." she said, giving Lovino a suggestive wink. He rolled his eyes. Why was he telling this to her again?

"Yeah, whatever."

Bella frowned at the tone of his voice.

"You know," she said, suddenly serious. "When was the last time you went on a date?"

Lovino grimaced. Not since his last, and that was almost 5 months ago...

"No clue." he said, refilling his glass with more champagne. Bella stared at him.

"Exactly." she said. He raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "You keep running away from love. You _refuse _to fall in love!"

"That's ridiculous." another sip.

"No, it's not." she scowled. "You're afraid of getting hurt again. Lovi, that was like 6 months ago. And you know that getting hurt sometimes comes with love. I _know _you know that. But sometimes you just gotta let yourself be swept off your feet. So..." Bella turned around, pointing towards the door.

Lovino could see Antonio moving towards it from where he was sitting. Suddenly she leaned in close.

"Go get him."

And with that she was off, bouncing to another table.

Of course, that's just like her. Give some real fast advice and run off so he couldn't ask any questions. Lovino stared at his glass of champagne.

"Oh, what the hell." he said finally, tipping the glass up and finishing it off. He set the empty glass down and took one more glance at the door before standing up and moving towards it himself.

Lovino could feel his brain going fuzzy. How many glasses of champagne did he have again?

Oh well, who cared. It was now or never. He made his way towards through the groups of people gathered around.

As soon as he walked out the door, he sighed a breath of relief. Man, the air felt so good out here compared to the stuffy reception room.

Antonio was just a few feet in front of front of him too, facing the Fountain of Love. Hm, symbolic? Lovino smirked.

Sucking in a deep breath, he took a few steps forward-

And stopped as soon as he watched a man with wavy blonde hair come out of nowhere. He was obviously drunk, babbling incoherent things and trying to feel Antonio up. Lovino raised an eyebrow as he watched the blonde stumble onto Antonio, both of them laughing.

Lovino immediately felt sick to his stomach. He dashed behind a pillar when saw that they were moving back towards the entrance, and he watched them go inside.

"Of course." Lovino grumbled bitterly as soon as they were out of earshot. He slowly walked up to the Fountain of Love, shaking his head

"How stupid. I'm such a fucking _idiot._" he said, looking up at the statues in the fountain. Of course someone like Antonio would be taken. He suddenly looked down at the water, snorting as he saw all the coins scattered around the bottom.

Taking a quick look around, Lovino swung his feet over the fountain and stood up in the shallow water.

"Because throwing some pocket change in a fountain will _totally _make someone fall in love with you!" he said sarcastically, laughing. Suddenly he turned serious again, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, right. Every. Single. One. Of you is just some desperate wish that someone will come into your life and sweep you off your feet that is never gonna come true." he said, speaking to the coins.

Suddenly he plunged his hand into the water and pulled out a coin. He examined it and laughed crudely.

"What, some American coin? Please. Gotta do better than that." he said, shoving it in his pocket. He took a quick look around and reached down to pick up another coin.

"Hey, you too. What is this, Japanese? I'll just keep this as a reminder to myself. To stay the hell away from people, that is." he said, looking at the coin. Finally he put it too in his pants pocket.

He reached down again and randomly pulled up a bottle cap.

"What is this? Is this the cap to some vodka? Oh, that's just pathetic." he said, shaking his head. He was on a roll!

He splashed down in the water, now not caring how wet he got. He groped around and picked up another coin, studying it.

"What's this... Ew, French. Forget that." he said, dropping it faster than he had picked it up. He reached down and grabbed the one next to it.

"Oh, but this one is... Hah! I don't even know! Oh, wait... Turkiye? Eh, who cares. In you go." he patted his pocket, feeling oddly accomplished.

"Just one more..." he eyed a particularly shiny one, and pulled it out of the water. He immediately recognized it, and grimaced.

"Spanish coin. Yeah, this one will remind me good." he said, shoving it in his pocket as well. He finally stood up, completely soaked from the waist down. Sneering at the statue, he laughed hollowly.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about that, _Fountain of Love?_" he spun around, splashing the water. Maybe he had had a just a _little _too much to drink.

"Salve! Salve!" Lovino heard a voice yell from behind him. He turned around and groaned when he saw the Italian security coming towards him.

"Oh look, love police." Rolling his eyes, he quickly jumped out from inside the fountain.

In front of the reception's doors Antonio watched with mild interest as Lovino ran off. He wondered what he had missed, as he only saw Lovino spinning around in the fountain...

What an interesting character.

* * *

**Hey guys. So, a couple notes here.**

**1.) There is no such thing as the 'Fountain of Love' or the 'Fontana de Amore'. The movie based that off of Fontana de Trevi, which is real but quite different. When you throw coins in there, you're guaranteed to come back to Rome or something. So pretty different, but I went ahead with the movie's version because... What else am I supposed to do? xD And it's cute.**

**2.) I hope the ending wasn't too fast. I was trying to do the whole drunk thing without just speeding through it, but I'm afraid it kinda looks like I rushed it. Dx Sorry if it does.**

**3.) Spizzico is apparently kinda like Italy's version of Pizza Hut, but better. Obviously. xD**

**4.) Let's pretend, for the sake of the fic, gay marriage is legal in Italy.**

**5.) Uh.. Uh.. Translation notes... Fratello means brother... I think that's the only Italian I used.**

**and finally... I apologize if someone already had this idea. I looked to make sure, I swear, but there was nothing there. And you know what they say, if you want to read a story that hasn't been made yet... You have to write it. And thank you for reading this fail. T.T I just... Really wanted to write a Spamano where I could have normal Lovi, since my other fic is genderbend...**

**Again, thanks so much for reading it!  
**


	2. Incontro

**When In Rome, Chapter 2 - Incontro**

"Yo, Antonio. Go get some beers, dude." Gilbert said, turning away form the TV to give his friend a cocky grin. Antonio stared at him blankly for a second.

"... What?" he blinked, not really paying attention to what his the albino asked. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Jesus Tonio, where are you today? Fridge. Beers." he said, speaking the last part slowly. Antonio opened his mouth, then shut it and nodded in compliance. Getting up off the couch, he started off towards the kitchen.

"Ah, it seems our dearest _Antoine_ is love." another voice spoke from the couch once Antonio was out of earshot. Gilbert turned to give the speaker a flat look.

"Yeah right, Francis. With who?"

The blonde only laughed. "Why, with his little Italian of course! The one at the wedding. He's obviously been swooning over him all day!" he said, winking. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"As if one-"

The albino's sentence was cut short by Francis slapping a hand over his mouth, putting a finger to his own as an indicator to be quiet. Gilbert gave his friend a confused look, but then heard Antonio talking from the kitchen.

"Ah, but, Lovi! I really thought we hit it off the other night..."

A pause.

"W-well, maybe just a coffee?"

Another pause.

"Oh, some other time?"

This time you could hear muffled yelling, apparently from the other end of the phone. Gilbert had to fight to resist laughing. This kid was a feisty one, that's for sure...

Finally, there was a click and they heard Antonio sigh. Gilbert felt bad for his friend. Out of all the people at that wedding he could've picked, he chose the angriest, meanest person of them all.

But a few moments later Antonio was coming out of the kitchen, token grin on his face.

"Haha, sorry guys! Here ya go!" he said, placing a bottle opener on the table in front of them. Gilbert eyed it.

"Wow, Toni, thanks! It's great to have a bottle opener, but oh, what's it used for again? What's that? _Opening bottles?_" the albino asked sarcastically. Francis laughed at Antonio's face as realization swept over his features. The Spaniard scratched the back of his head bashfully.

"Ahaha, oh, whoops..." he said, placing his phone down on the table and turning towards the kitchen again. Gilbert smirked at the phone, snatching it from the table.

"Eugh, you weren't calling that angry little Italian freak, were you?" he asked, studying the phone. Even if he knew the answer to that question, it was always fun to mess around with his oblivious friend. Antonio turned around.

"What? Of course not! Hahaha! Don't be ridiculous!"

Gilbert laughed at that. Oh, his friend never was good at lying...

"Oh, okay." Gilbert said, flipping open his friends phone. "So if I just go through your history here and redial this last number..."

"Don't do that!" Antonio exclaimed suddenly, reaching over the couch and grabbing his phone. Gilbert cackled evilly.

"That's what I thought! Come _on _now, Toni. This is a Bad Touch Trio night, and you're calling your little boyfriend-"

"He's not technically my boyfriend..."

"-Did you just interrupted awesomeness? I didn't think so. Anyways, your little boytoy doesn't count here. Now go get those beers!" Gilbert finished, turning his attention back to the game on the TV. Antonio pouted, but went back to the refrigerator. He hummed as he came back towards the living room, setting the beers down on the table when he came back. He smiled slightly to himself. Oh well, even if he couldn't call Lovino, that certainly didn't mean he couldn't _think _about him...

* * *

_VrRrRr... Ruh. VrRrRr... Ruh._

Fuck. Fuckity fuck-fuck.

Out of all the days Lovino's car could have chosen not to start, it chooses the day he's running late with a hangover. Damnit. Of course, this was just his luck. Because life hates him. Yeah, that must be it. He grabbed the key, trying the engine one more time.

And... Nothing.

Lovino let his head fall forward, hitting the steering wheel. Could this get much worst?

Finally, he lifted his head up and let out an exasperated sigh. Jesus, just how much did he drink last night? His head was _pounding._

And now he was going to have to get to work by foot. Normally that wouldn't have been such a big deal, but coupled with his headache and worse than usual attitude, he definitely didn't feel like footing it.

Groaning, Lovino slowly slinked out of his car and started off towards the bakery. Oh man, Bella was going to wonder where the hell he'd been-

Shit. Bella. He'd forgotten... She'd want to know what happened last night, and Lovino was _certainly _not in the mood to explain everything. Maybe he should just stay home. At least that would be more peaceful while he slowly died from his hangover...

Stopping briefly to contemplate turning back around and spending the day in bed, Lovino was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to see the figure coming at him ninety miles an hour. The person had practically launched themselves at him, colliding with Lovino.

"Wha..." Lovino started at they hit the pavement not-so-gracefully, the person who had run into him landing rather awkwardly on top of the Italian. "_C-Cosa diavolo_? Get the fuck off of-"

"Ohmy_God _it's you!"

Before Lovino even had time to _react _to that statement, he was hoisted back up onto his feet and wrapped in a bone-crushing hug.

"Hahaha! And to think I thought you only existed in my dreams!"

_Whoa. _What? Lovino struggled in the person's grasp, trying to get away- or at least get a better look at them! He could tell from the voice that it was a man, and almost instantly his attitude went from 'very-fucking-pissed-off' to 'piss-his-pants-scared'. What the hell was going on? This guy's _dreams_? Was he about to be abducted? Sold to the sex slave market? Dammit! He didn't want to die yet!

And then, almost as if reading his mind, Lovino's captor released him from his arms and grabbed his shoulders instead.

"Wow! You're even better looking in real life!" the man bellowed, studying Lovino. Finally, the Italian got a look at his face. He had bold blue eyes, covered with thin-framed and somewhat out of style glasses. His blonde hair was somewhat short, with a cowlick sticking out where his hair parted.

He didn't look particularly... Dangerous, but his grip on Lovino's shoulders was firm. Suddenly a look of realization sparked across the man's face, and Lovino swallowed. Suddenly, his shoulders were set free and the man extended his hand towards him. Lovino stared up at him, slightly intimidated by his height.

"Yo, haha! What's up? My bad, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Alfred. Straight from the U-S of A, bro!" the man suddenly yelled, grinning like a maniac. Lovino briefly wondered if this guy even had an inside voice.

"Anyways, I think I we should go out sometime. And by sometime, I mean soon. As in right now. Oh, should I update my Facebook relationship status? Of course, duh!" Alfred continued, whipping out his phone. Lovino, seeing an opportunity for escape, started to slowly back away.

Alfred looked up when he realized Lovino was moving backwards. He frowned, taking a step towards the Italian.

"Wait-"

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence. Lovino whipped around, running off in the opposite direction he came from before Alfred didn't even have time to react. The blonde's jaw dropped.

"... Holy shit." he said slowly, watching Lovino speed off. Suddenly the American laughed. Wow, that little guy could run fast!

"Oh well." Alfred shrugged. "Must be an Italian thing. Guess I'll catch him later..." he said to himself, grinning.

* * *

Bella looked up from her newspaper at the sound of the bakery door being opened. She smirked as she saw Lovino's figure enter the store.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure to, my dear _late_ boss?" she asked, putting a special emphasis on the last part. Lovino sneered at her.

"Shut up. I had to run for my goddamn life from some creep this morning! He fucking almost tried to _abduct _me!"

Bella stared at him flatly.

"I seriously think that's the worst excuse I've heard from you in a long time..."

"Excuse me? Go fuck yourself, Bella." Lovino said, sending her a dark glare. She snorted.

"I have a boyfriend for that, actually."

"... That was TMI. I didn't need to know that." He said, disgusted. She bit back a laugh.

"Sorry."

He only shook his head, walking up to sit next to her at the counter.

"Why are you just sitting out here anyways? Get in the kitchen."

Bella stared at him in mock-shock. "Oh my! Who put the manly pants on you this morning? Oh, did you actually get to top someone last nigh-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll shave your head when you're sleeping."

Her expression turned to genuine horror. "Jeez." she said, scooting away from him slightly. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I'm waiting for Daan to come back." she finally explained, after deciding she was a safe enough distance from Lovino now. He gave her a confused look. Daan was her brother, and another worker at the bakery. Not Lovino's most favorite person in the world by a long shot, but then again he didn't like many people to begin with.

"Where'd he go?"

Bella turned back towards her paper. "To get some sugar." she explained, not skipping a beat. Lovino frowned.

"... You mean we ran out?"

She nodded.

"... Completely? We had no sugar left. Anywhere?"

"Yup!" she replied brightly. Lovino stared at her in disbelief.

"But we're a fucking bakery! How can we run out of sugar?" he asked, his voice starting to raise. Bella gave him an accusing look.

"Hey, don't start yelling at me. Maybe if you had been here on time..."

Lovino let out an irritated sigh. "I told you, I had to run from some street creep." he explained, as if he was talking to a toddler. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on." she said, shoving the paper in front of him. "I know how wasted you were last night. _Everybody_ does." she pointed at an article in the paper. "**Stupido!**" The headline read in bold letters, and just below was a picture of him jumping out of the fountain from last night.

Oh shit.

Bella laughed at his face. "Yeah, exactly. You were so drunk last night you probably just slept in late because of your hangover. Just _look_ at you. You look like shit."

"Thanks." Lovino said sarcastically, pushing the paper away. Bella grinned.

"Oh, no problem! But jeez, I can't believe you stole coins out of the Fountain of Love!" she snickered. "Lovi, you're _so _badass. Show those coins who's boss!"

Lovino shot her a dark look. "Shut up. Like you said, I was wasted. I can't be held accountable for my actions last nigh-"

Lovino cut off mid-sentence, hearing the bakery door open. Immediately both Bella and him looked up to see who had come in.

"Oh, welcome!" Bella said when she realized it was a customer, straightening up in her chair. Lovino studied the man who had just walked in. He had pale blonde hair, and purple eyes. As if that wasn't weird enough, he had on a long tan coat.

With a scarf.

In the middle of June.

What the fuck?

Immediately Lovino was put on guard. As if the clothes weren't enough, this guy was giving off some seriously freaky vibes. And Lovino was far from any aura-reader, but damn.

He glanced warily back at Bella, who appeared not to notice anything wrong at all. Damn her and her selective obliviousness!

"How may I help you?" she asked cheerfully, not breaking her bright smile.

Oh yeah, there was definitely a reason he usually had her deal with the customers.

"Aha! Oh nothing, I'm just here to see my Lovino!" The man replied back sweetly. Lovino's blood ran cold. _His _Lovino? This wasn't good. And he had a Russian accent. That made things ten times fucking worst.

Bella looked slightly surprised at the answer for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Of course!" she said, pushing Lovino off his chair in front of her. He stumbled rather awkwardly in front of the man, but quickly regained his posture again.

Oh, she was a dead bitch later.

"Er." Lovino started. "What can I- How can I help you?" he asked stiffly. The Russian in front of him only smiled.

"Hello. My name's Ivan Braginski." he said, introducing himself. Lovino's eyebrows quirked at this, but he didn't say anything. Mostly because this guy was way taller than him. And pretty buff too.

"I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you." Lovino's jaw dropped at this. What the fuck was this guy saying? Ivan ignored the look on the Italian's face, continuing. "And as much as I hate to take a page out of my sister's book..." Ivan paused to shudder, but quickly recovered. "I think we should get married."

Lovino stared at him in disbelief. Was this freak serious?

"I think you have the wrong person..." Lovino mumbled. Ivan shook his head.

"No. I am sure I have the correct person. You're Lovino Vargas, da?" his face broke out into a creepy smile. "You have a brother named Feliciano. And you're the owner of this bakery." he said confidently, nodding at his own words.

Lovino was at a loss for words. Was he being... Stalked! For how long? How did he not notice?

"Should I take your silence as a yes to my proposal?" Ivan asked after a moment of silence. Lovino almost gagged.

"H-hell no!" he sputtered. "I never agreed to- What the fuck are you even saying?" he snapped, finally finding his voice again. Ivan's smile faltered slightly.

"Oh, was I not clear enough?"

Lovino just stared.

And then, something suddenly occurred to him. He turned around, giving Bella a flat look.

"... Very funny." he said, unamused. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh please." he snorted. "Don't give me that look. You completely planned this all out, right? You thought it would be _hilarious _to pick on the hungover boss, right?" he glared darkly at her. She stared at him, unable to reply. When she opened her mouth to say something, Lovino cut her off.

"No, don't even bother. I know the way your brain works." he said, pursing his lips. He turned back to face the Russian.

"So how much did she pay you?" he asked, his face completely serious. The corners of Ivan's mouth twitched downward in a frown.

"I'm not some practical joke, I'm afraid. As sad as it is that you can't see it, my love for you is real." he stepped forward suddenly, reaching a hand inside his jacket. "But I can show you..." he continued, a creepy smile overtaking his face.

"This... Is for you." he finished, pulling out a red, pulsating heart from what seemed to be his chest.

Lovino thought he was going to pass out. He screamed, stumbling backwards and colliding with Bella and her chair. They both went tumbling backwards onto the floor, screaming in unison.

Ivan laughed, watching the scene play out. "Ahaha! You really are so silly!~" he giggled. "It's just plastic, see?" he moved forward again, holding out the fake heart. Lovino screamed for the second time.

"So adorable!" Ivan's smile widened, and he put the plastic heart into his pocket. "It's okay though, if I can't show you my feelings this way I'll figure out something else!"

Lovino watched him with wide eyes, trying to slowly inch towards the counter. Maybe, if he could reach his phone without being noticed, he could call for help... His hand slowly crept across the counter. Come on, so close...

But before he reached it, a ringing went through the store. Lovino immediately jumped onto his feet, grabbing his phone and _praying to God_ that it wasn't that idiot Antonio calling again.

… Wait, what? Lovino shook his head, mentally kicking himself. What did that bastard have to do with anything! Lovino pushed the thought out of his head, flipping open his phone. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the blank screen. Nobody was calling? So who's phone was-

"Hello?" Ivan asked suddenly, making Lovino jump. He whipped around to see who the Russian was talking to, and heaved a sigh of relief when he realized he was on the phone.

The once eery smile that had been on Ivan's face was wiped away, replaced with a faint frown. Lovino shuddered involuntarily. If the aura Ivan had been giving off earlier was creepy, the feeling that now filled the bakery was overwhelming.

It was almost surreal, how the bakery that was just a few seconds ago noisy was now the same place you could now hear if someone dropped a pin.

Lovino watched the Russian very carefully. His once cheery demeanor had gone and left no traces of every being present. It was like he was looking at a completely different person! Ivan was silently listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, his eyes narrowing with each passing second.

"Я понимаю." Ivan finally spoke, even his voice very different from earlier. He sounded so... Dark now. Lovino swallowed. "You take care of it. I'm busy." the Russian suddenly snapped, flipping his phone shut. He sighed quietly to himself, and there was a silence afterwards.

Finally he lifted his head back up, smiling again. Lovino was in shock. _How _was it possible to swing moods like that?

"I'm very sorry for that, yes? How rude of me to answer my phone in front of company like that!" he slipped his phone in his pocket, holding his hands up in an exaggerated shrug. "But..." an unreadable emotion flashed though the bigger man's eyes. "I'm afraid something has come up that I really must tend to. As unfortunate as it is, I really must leave. I'll see you tomorrow, моя любовь, da? Should we discuss wedding plans?" he asked, smiling. Lovino gritted his teeth.

"Hell no!" he spat back. Ivan blinked in mild surprise for a minute, before laughing and setting a hand on Lovino's head.

"Ah, so feisty. Of course we have to! Weddings are a big deal. They require a lot of planning!"

Lovino shook him off, sneering. Bella could only gape at her Italian friend. When had he grown balls enough to be able to talk to someone like that? _Especially_ someone who was so much bigger than him?

Ivan only shook his head, grinning. Slowly, Ivan started off towards the bakery door. When he finally reached it, he turned back around and smiled very sweetly in Lovino's direction.

"Until tomorrow, my Lovi!" he said, waving. Lovino shot him a glare, causing Ivan to laugh before leaving the store.

Lovino and Bella stayed still for a moment, taking in everything that had just happened. After a few minutes, Lovino fell backwards onto the floor. He closed his eyes, trying to regulate his heartbeat back down to healthy, normal levels. He swore he could hear it thumping in his _ears._

He finally cleared his throat. "Bella. _Please_ tell me that was you're way of getting back at me for making you work on Saturdays." he asked, almost begging. She frowned.

"... I wish I had thought of something that good..."

* * *

It had been a long first half of the day. After Daan came back with the sugar and the bakery was up and running like normal, they got slammed. Lovino had been working all day, and to be honest, he was just fucking sick of it.

And he was _more _than happy to welcome a lunch break. As tempted as he was to go home and crawl back into bed, he figured he may as well stick out the rest of the day. Only a few more hours to go, and how much worse could it really get?

He had absolutely no idea.

Although it was fine until he found himself in front of a fast food place. And he should have known then. He should have just turned around, marched his ass right back to the bakery and eaten some leftover bread or something.

But he was fucking starving, and it was the closest place around. Under normal circumstances he would've thrown himself off a bridge before he ate some greasy fast food, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And having not eaten anything all day was definitely a desperate time.

He wasn't even repulsed by the smell when he entered the restaurant. _That's_ how hungry he was.

Damn.

After walking in and getting in line, Lovino studied the menu. They made it look like it was all so vast and different, but he swore it was really just the same thing over and over again. With slight changes. Like, a hamburger with cheese. Or with bacon. Or with an extra patty. What the hell, it's all the same thing isn't it?

"Sir... E-Excuse me, you seemed to have dropped your wallet..."

Lovino was snapped out of his daze by a meek, shy voice. He turned to see a small Asian man standing next to him, holding out Lovino's wallet.

"Er. Thanks." he said quickly, taking his wallet from the man and turning back to the menu.

"No problem... How are you?"

Lovino almost groaned. He was _not_ in the mood for socializing right now.

"Fine." he answered with an edge in his voice, hoping to sound a bit rude so this person would just take a hint and _shut the hell up._

There was a silence between the two for a moment, and Lovino had the man had gotten the hint. He fought a sigh of relief. Thank god...

But he must have prayed too soon, because the man spoke. Again.

"I am quite good at reading the air, and I'm sorry if I annoyed you. Would you like me to move to the back of the line?" he asked, completely serious.

Lovino whipped around at this, now completely frustrated and about to give this guy a piece of his mind, when he saw the guys dark brown eyes.

But that wasn't what made Lovino stop. Oh no. It was the _look _he had in them.

The oh-too-familiar, _love-stricken _look he had in them.

Fuck. Lovino's. Life.

He must have been a real douche in a past life to ever deserve this. Like a serious asshat.

"A-ah, I'm sorry, I'm from Japan so I'm not used to western manners yet. My name is Kiku, and yours...?

Was there _any_ way Lovino could get out of this?

"Look." the Italian started. "Uh, Kiku. I'm going to be direct here. Do you think you're in love with me? Because I'm not sure how much more of this I can handle."

The young Japanese man stared at him in utter bewilderment. "L-Love? I-I- That's a very er, outright term, and..." he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence out of embarrassment. Lovino felt like smacking his head on a wall.

"Not again! Not now, ugh... Can't I just fucking eat in peace?" he cried out, shaking his head. Kiku stared at him with wide eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." he suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, staring past Lovino's shoulder.

Oh no. Lovino paled. Please don't let Ivan be standing behind him, or that weird guy from this morning, or-

"Is this man bothering you?" a voice asked from behind him, cutting Lovino's thoughts short. He almost let out a sigh of relief, recognizing that the voice _didn't _belong to either of those people. He turned around to respond to the question, but stopped himself.

Because the guy was wearing a _mask._

"I-I wasn't..." Kiku squeaked, obviously a bit intimidated by the masked man as well.

"Don't even bother making any excuses." the stranger said, scowl evident in his voice. He set his hand on Lovino's shoulder. "It's okay." he said, now speaking to the Italian. "I got some extra lunch, so you don't have to stand in line with this guy anymore. You can even sit with me! It'll be a date!" he grinned behind his mask cockily. Lovino backed away from the two of them, brushing the man's hand off his arm. He could practically feel the rage bubbling up inside him. That was the absolute last straw. Lovino had been officially pushed over the edge. He had had just about enough with creeps today! What, was a new holiday announced that Lovino wasn't aware of? Bother Lovino day? Creep on the nearest Italian day? What the fuck was it? He grit his teeth in anger.

"I. Don't. Know. You!" Lovino finally screeched, his eyes darting from Kiku to the masked man. "I don't even know _your _name-"

"Sadik." the masked man replied. Lovino glared at him, choosing to ignore _Sadik _ and continue.

"-and you can't just offer me lunch, and confess your _love-_"

"Hey, you said it, not us." Sadik interrupted again. Lovino seriously considered smacking him.

"No. _No! _I've known you for all of 2 minutes, _tops!_" he continued, his voice starting to raise. People in the restaurant stopped to stare, and he ignored them. "I've never even met you before, so just leave me alone! Do you guys have some kind of pact or something? Whoever can creep Lovino out the most wins a prize? Well you fucking win! Congratulations!" he finally stopped, taking a deep breath. He whipped around and stomped towards the exit, leaving Sadik and Kiku to stand there, dumbfounded. They watched as he left the restaurant, going back down the street. Finally Kiku broke the awkward silence.

"... Such a tsundere. How adorable."

* * *

Lovino stormed into the bakery, scowl on his face present. Bella watched him with interest come in from outside, peering over the cash register.

"... I guess I shouldn't ask how your lunch went?"

Lovino gave her the finger. "I'm going home."

Bella stared at him, a slight look of disapproval taking over her features. "You can't be serious. We have like 5 cakes to get done. And Daan is busy enough as is back there!"

Lovino snorted at her. "Then you guys off too! Close the bakery down for the day, whatever! All I fucking know is I'm going to curl up in my bed, and die. Or maybe hope that this is some terrible nightmare that I'll wake up from. Either way, I'll be in bed, slowly decaying."

Bella frowned. God, he was so dramatic.

"Look, it's not that bad. If that guy from earlier comes around again, we'll just call the police!"

Lovino stared at her, shaking his head. She just didn't understand! She didn't get it!

"It's not just him! Jesus!" he yelled, attempting to explain. "This morning some freak decided to squeeze my guts out, and then Ivan fucking stalked me or whatever, and then just when my day was going okay I run into this Japanese guy and then this man with a fucking _mask _showed up! _HE HAD A FUCKING MASK BELLA, HE WAS PROBABLY LIKE A BANK ROBBER OR SOMETHING._" he finished, yelling at her. Bella's eyes widened. What the hell had happened to him today?

And then all of a sudden Lovino was knocked to the ground, a body landing awkward on top of him.

"_Fratellooooo!"_ his brothers voice cried, and Lovino realized who had toppled him over. He shoved Feliciano off himself, cursing under his breath. Feliciano pouted.

"What?" he snapped, close to strangling his younger brother. Feliciano gaped at him.

"Fratello! Oh no! You really did steal the coins out of the _Fontana de Amore_, didn't you?" the younger Italian cried, standing up again. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I'm not in the mood, Felician-"

"Fratello!" Feliciano cried again. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"_What?"_

"You have to put the coins back! You _have _to!" he cried, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes.

Lovino snorted. "Feliciano, Jesus. Don't fucking cry. I'm not going to fucking throw some coins into a fountain that I stole _out _of the fountain, dumbfuck. You know I'm not a little goody-two shoes like you. Why are you here again?" Feliciano shook his head adamantly.

"No, Lovi! Listen! You remember that old story Grandpa used to tell us about the Fountain of Love? If you steal someone's coins from the fountain, they'll fall in love with you!"

Lovino gave his brother a flat look. "Feliciano, you're a little old to be believing in old folk tales. Besides, that's absolutely ridiculous-"

"But it makes sense, right?" Bella said, cutting in. Both brothers turned their attention to her. "I mean, with all the guys that are after you... And it all started this morning, right? Right after you stole those coins out of the fountain!"

Lovino was silent for a moment. Then he laughed.

"... You guys are ridiculous. I'm leaving." he said, turning towards the door. He ignored his brothers calls, leaving without a backwards glance. He halfway expected Feliciano to follow him, and was relieved when the younger Italian didn't.

Until he got out the door and had the shit scared out of him by a person popping out of the bushes. Of course.

_When would it end?_

Lovino screamed, stumbling backwards and swinging his fist out, hitting the ambusher square in the nose. He felt completely successful at first.

Until he realized it was that stupid Spanish bastard from the wedding.

N-Not that he felt bad for him or anything! He just didn't feel that it was right to hit someone that idiotic. It was like hitting a mentally challenged person. Just... Just something that you didn't do.

Antonio doubled over, hands cupped around his nose. "Ah ow, owowowow..." he whined. Lovino scowled.

"What the fuck are you doing in a bush? Jesus! You could've sent me into a heart attack or something! What if I went into cardiac arrest?" he snapped. When Antonio didn't respond, he frowned. "A-Ah, shit, are you bleeding?"

Antonio only kept whining, keeping his hands around his nose. Lovino got a concerned look on his face.

"L-Look, sorry, I didn't know I hit you that hard-"

"... You didn't." Antonio said, pulling his hands away from his nose. It looked almost completely unaffected. Lovino blinked for a minute, confused. Wasn't he just doubled over in pai-

Oh, that sneaky _bastard!_

"What the fuck do you think you're pulling?" Lovino asked, edge in his voice. "I bet you think you're real damn charming don't you?"

Antonio laughed. "Aww, only a little..."

Lovino scoffed. "Well, you're not. So fuck off." he said, stomping away. Antonio followed him, grinning.

"Really?"

"Yes. Get the fuck away."

"_Really?_"

"Yes! What are you even doi- Ugh, no means no! I'm not going out with you! What don't you understand about that?"

Antonio stopped at that, scratching the back of his head. "Well, we just hit it off so well..."

Lovino snorted. "Yeah, kinda like you and that blonde..."

Antonio's face scrunched up in confusion. "Blonde...?" What was his little Lovi talking about?

Suddenly a look of realization crossed Antonio's face. "Oh! You mean Francis? Oh.. You saw that..." the Spaniard frowned, everything making sense now.

"Yeah, I saw it. So did the rest of Italy. It wasn't like you hid it or anything." Lovino said, getting defensive. Not because he was jealous though. Because he didn't want to be discussing this. Absolutely.

"I didn't hide it because it didn't mean anything to me, Lovi!" Antonio exclaimed. Lovino looked unconvinced, so Antonio tried again. Lowering his voice just a little, he whispered in Lovino's ear. "He's French." he said, as though it explained everything. This time Lovino's eyebrows raised up a little.

"... Fucking Frenchies." he said, finally. Antonio laughed.

"So does that mean you'll let me take you out?"

"... Bastard."

* * *

**Translations**

**Cosa Diavolo – What the hell (Italian)**

**Stupido – Stupid (Italian)**

**Я понимаю – I understand (Russian)**

**моя любовь – My love (Russian)**

**(If I messed up on the languages, tell me in a review or PM or something. I usually hate using other languages, but somehow this chapter called for it. You'll notice I don't do it as often as some people do though)**

**People**

**Netherlands – Daan.**

**And don't kill me if I got any of the characterizations wrong? I'm mostly worried about Turkey, because I have NEVER written him before. I'm kinda iffy on my Russia, but I think I did okay. I can write Japan, but writing him interacting with Lovino was definitely... Different. **

**I kinda think that Lovino would be one of those people who's just kinda keep-to-myself for the most part, unless you make him mad or you have to deal with him a lot and then he's all pissy to you because he's Lovino. It's his way of showing affection. ;D**

**I dunno, man. I spent 3 days on this, making adjustments to it, and I've decided... I need to stop being so anal. It's nice to know I've spent a lot of time on this, but when I spend 5 minutes trying to decide whether to say 'a moment' or 'a minute' or 'a second', and then ending up taking it out ANYWAYS, it's a little ridiculous.**

**Sorry for the lack of Spamano in this chapter, I had to introduce everyone else somehow! But I do promise, what I have in store for next chapter is _awesomely Spamano-ly delicious._**

**And this chapter is kinda ridiculously long. I just couldn't stop writing. I WAS ON A ROLL. This chapter is like 5500 words long or something, and my last chapter was only 4000 something. And I thought it was long.**

**FINALLY, I would like to say... Thank you so much to everyone who reviews! I would have NEVER guessed the first chapter would get over _20 reviews_! YOU GUYS SO CRAZY.**

**(Sorry if I'm a little late getting back to responses on the first chapter, or if I somehow miss you, or if I accidentally send you one when I've already sent one. Because I know I responded to some people and not to others and ahksjhls ridiculous. That's my word of the day, by the way.)**


	3. Appuntamento

"So... I can pick you up around 7 tonight, then!"

"I never said you could take me out in the first place, cocky asswipe."

Antonio grinned at the smaller man as they walked together down the street, heading in the direction of Lovino's house.

"You never said you wouldn't, either." the Spanish man stated, before stretching and placing his hands behind the back of his head. Lovino averted his gaze quickly as the taller man looked at him with a smirk. Jesus Christ, what had gotten into him? Was he some little schoolgirl who couldn't look their crush in the eye?

The Italian's train of thought was interrupted by a short laugh from Antonio. Lovino turned his head back towards his companion to give him a vicious glare.

"What the hell are you laughing at anyway? And stop following me. I know my own way to my own fucking place, and it's not like I'm a defenseless-"

Lovino cut off mid sentence, his face paling as he saw something in not too far in the distance behind Antonio.

"Shit!" he suddenly hissed, eyes darting around to find an escape route. Just as Antonio was about to comment on Lovino's sudden mood-change, a sweet voice could be heard from behind him:

"Ah, Lovi! What a surprise to be meeting you here, da?"

Feeling his fight-or-flight instincts kicking in at the familiar voice, Lovino gritted his teeth.

"_Go._" he commanded the Spaniard, getting ready to kick into gear and take off himself. Antonio gave him a confused look.

"But-"

"Hahahaha! If it isn't my soulmate!" Antonio's question was quickly interrupted by an obnoxious voice. It's source could quickly be traced to the blonde in front of them, running towards the two at an alarmingly fast pace. Lovino sucked in a breath.

"Go!" he yelled again, this time giving the Spaniard a shove to go with it. The tan man stumbled back a few steps, the confused look never leaving his face. Just as Lovino frantically shook his head and faced towards the street, another voice could be heard:

"You guys better be backing off! He's mine!"

Another man, quite tan, came from around the corner of a nearby building. A smaller Asian man followed behind him, looking like he was struggling to keep up.

Lovino shot one more glance at the utterly-bewildered looking Antonio before darting out into the traffic of the busy street.

"Wait-!" Antonio started, but stopped himself this time, looking on anxiously as the Italian dodged the incoming cars like it was something he did everyday. As soon as Lovino reached the other side of the street, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He watched as the Italian ran without looking back before disappearing behind a corner.

Breaking his gaze away from the street, he took a look around curiously as he noticed that all of the guys from before were gone. Were they friends of his? He somehow doubted it, but then again this was Italy. Maybe everyone was just overly friendly here.

He started back down the street, brightening back up as he remembered the date he had planned tonight. Of course! Lovino was probably just in a hurry to get back to his house to get ready!

He smiled as he thought about the date, humming happily to himself before running into a pole.

* * *

"A _date_?" Bella repeated, smirking. Lovino flushed.

"Yes. A date. That's why I can't stay late tonight. Why do I need to anyway? We never have that many customers at night. And wipe that shit-eating grin off your face!" he snapped. She let out an airy giggle.

"I can handle it! It just gets boooring. The only person here besides me is my brother, and he's no fun for conversation." she whined. Lovino rolled his eyes. "But! That aside, you're going on a date! With one of your stalker guys? How cute! Wait, not the Russian guy, right?"

"Fuck no!" he spat with a huff. Bella laughed.

"I'm really glad that isn't the case. Then.. Which one _is_ it?" she asked him, fully aware she was prying. But she knew what made the angry Italian tick, and she knew just how far she had to push him to get an answer out of him. Lovino gave her a flat look.

"The guy from the wedding, alright? Jesus. It's just a date, stop acting lik-"

"The one you chased out by the fountain!?" she interrupted him, ignoring the last half of his sentence. He shoved his head into his hands, partially to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes, okay? Is this interrogation over yet, damn it?"

Bella slammed her hands onto the counter. "This is the most romantic thing I've heard of since I watched 50 First Dates!" she exclaimed. "Just what time is this date!?"

Lovino gave her a bewildered look.

"Why the f-"

"Answer it!" she said, now leaning over the counter directly in front of Lovino's face. Lovino backed up.

"S-Seven..." he said, his expression unchanging.

She squealed.

"Seven! Oh, oh shit, seven!" she suddenly gasped, glancing back at the clock. She turned towards him ago, scowling.

"That's in two hours!" she pointed out flatly. Lovino nodded, looking unimpressed.

"And..?"

"_And?_" The blonde-haired Belgian whipped around, grabbing her purse from under the counter. "We've been here all freaking day and you didn't tell me you had a date at _seven_? Come on, we have to go!"

"_We_?" Lovino asked incredulously. "Just where are _we_ going?"

Bella ignored him and turned towards the kitchen, where her brother was occupied with some oversized bags of flower.

"Daan, do you think you could hold down fort for a little while? It's an emergency!"

The Dutchman lifted his head up to give his sister a flat look. "Where are you going now?"

Bella huffed. "Pay attention, would you? I'm going to go help Lovino get ready for his date, of course. I'll be back later, bye!" she gave a cheerful wave before grabbing the nearby Italian by the collar and dragging him towards the exit.

"Ack- why do _you_ need to help me?" he choked as he was nearly forced out the door. Bella laughed.

"Male or female, with only two hours left to get ready for a date, anyone could use some extra help. Now stop dragging, we're wasting precious time!" she ordered him, shoving him outside. She turned around to give a slight wave to her older brother.

"Thanks again, bro!"

The Danish man rolled his eyes as he watched the pair leave.

* * *

1 and a half hours and what looked to bystanders like a kidnapping later, and Bella was pounding on Lovino's bathroom door.

"Are you almost _done_ in there?" she asked. Lovino huffed from the other side.

"Listen, crazy bipolar bitch. You were the one earlier who was yelling at me to get ready; now you're yelling at me to come out?"

"You have thirty minutes left." she warned. "And you haven't even gotten dressed yet, have you?"

"Perfection takes time!" he retorted. Bella snorted. "And I'm putting on my pants now, if you really must know."

"Good." she said back, grinning. He was just too much fun to tease.

The Belgian took another look around his apartment. It hadn't changed much since the last time she was here. She almost laughed. How ironic was it that the last time she was here, she was the panicked one seeking advice for a date?

She wandered away from the door and towards the shelf by his couch, examining it. It hadn't changed much. There was still the few decorations, mixed in with a couple stray books. She picked up a small porcelain bowl on the middle shelf, looking inside it.

A jumble of coins and what looked like... Some sort of an alcohol cap? Were all thrown together in the bowl. Bella furrowed her eyebrows. What would Lovino be doing with a bunch of coins?

Suddenly a light-bulb went off, and Bella gasped. Were these the coins he stole from the fountain?

She shot a glance back towards the bathroom door. No sing of any angry Italian yet.. She turned her attention back to the coins. If Feliciano was right, putting these back would break the love spell.

But... Was Antonio one of them under the spell? He and Lovino seemed to really hit it off. Lovino never did seem to have much luck in the romance department, what with his.. Fiery personality.

She nodded firmly to herself. That settled it, then. Bella grabbed the coins and dumped them into her purse, watching the bathroom door carefully the whole time. There was no harm in doing this anyway - if worst came to worst, she could always just return them, right?

She glanced back at the clock once the coins were securely in her purse and gasped.

"Lovino! Seven minutes!" she yelled, slightly alarmed at just how much time had passed. She heard a couple of swears from the bathroom before Lovino stumbled out with his jacket half-on.

As Lovino struggled to get his arm through the jacket, Bella let out a whistle.

"Lookin' good!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Now go out and get a piece of that _fine_ Spanish ass!"

Lovino rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but laugh anyway.

* * *

"So... What exactly is this place?" Lovino asked as Antonio got out of the car. The Spanish man grinned.

"A black-out diner I had heard about." he explained as he walked around the side of the car to open Lovino's side. The Italian blushed and muttered something about "Chivalrous bastards." Antonio smiled.

"Shall we go in?"

"No." Lovino huffed, getting out of the car and marching towards the diner anyway. Antonio laughed.

"Do you always contradict yourself like that?"

Lovino turned around to give him a dirty look.

"Shut up and hurry, before I change my mind about this." he spat. Antonio sped up, barely brushing past Lovino as he opened the restaurant door for him. Lovino flushed, but didn't say a word as he passed through the door and into the restaurant.

"You're pretty cute when you blush."

"I'm serious. If you don't stop saying weird things like that I'm... I'm not going on any second dates." Lovino said, weakly. Antonio's eyes widened.

"So you were planning on it before?"

_Shit_. That was not what Lovino had meant to imply.

"Sh-shut up and let's get seated. I'm starving, dammit!"

Antonio laughed, turning towards the counter. He didn't even seem phased by Lovino's name calling. The Italian briefly wondered if his selective hearing was just that good, or if it really didn't bother him at all.

"Right this way, please!" the girl who was standing behind the counter before turned towards them, pulling a curtain back to reveal a pitch-black room. As she put on some strange-looking glasses, Lovino couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. She had a twinkle in her eyes that was just... A little off, if you asked him.

"Please take a hold of my hands!" she said cheerfully to the both of them, grinning widely. "I'll lead you to your table."

Lovino grimaced as he grabbed her hand, letting her lead the two of them into the darkness.

"My name's Elizaveta, and I'll be your host tonight." she said as she pulled them through the restaurant. Lovino swore as he tripped over something and stumbled.

"Oh, that was a chair!" Elizaveta added helpfully. Lovino repressed a sarcastic "Wow, thanks for the heads up!"and rolled his eyes, following behind the girl little more closely.

"I can see through the dark with these glasses on." she explained to them as she pulled out their chairs and helped them get seated. Lovino was suddenly glad that it was this dark, considering the way he stumbled over his own chair several times before figuring out exactly where to sit.

"Your wine is being poured right in front of you." Elizaveta said from.. Wherever she was standing, once the two of them were securely in their seats. A few awkward moments of silence passed, before Lovino was the first one to speak.

"... So. Why this place?" he asked, looking in the direction where he assumed Antonio was. The Spaniard gave a laugh from the other side of the table.

"Well... Our last big moment was when the lights went out at your brothers wedding, right? So I figured it was sort of... Symbolic."

You could practically hear the smile in his voice. Lovino turned red again. What a cheesy bastard! Who said things like that anyway?

"Er, th-that's-"

"So cute!" A feminine voice squealed from beside the table. Lovino froze.

"I thought you left." he said bluntly. The waitress giggled.

"I don't have your orders yet!" she responded cheerfully.

... Oh.

"Ah.." Antonio spoke up first this time. "I'll just take a salad. Simplest one you've got."

"Got it. And you?" she asked, presumably turning towards Lovino. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh. Same." he answered, desperate to get her to go away. She was definitely creeping him out.

"Alright. Then I'll go put your orders in!" she said. Lovino listened carefully for the sound of her footsteps walking away. He sighed when he deemed it safe.

"That bitch is fucking creepy." he said, frowning.

"Really? I thought she was nice!"

"You would." Lovino responded with a sigh, but he smiled despite himself. The Italian groped around for his wine glass, taking a sip.

It was... Surprisingly good. Not cheap, that was for sure.

Lovino always did appreciate good wine. Lovino had taken another drink just before he heard an all-too eerily familiar voice in his ear.

"It is delicious, da? Shall we plan some for our wedding?"

Lovino spit out his wine in shock. That was _definitely_ not Antonio's voice. With that accent, it couldn't be..

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lovino spat, much to a confused Antonio sitting across the room from him.

"W-what?" the Spanish man asked, bewildered. "Lovino, what's wr-"

"Hey, where are the burgers in this place? You can't tell me an expensive place like this doesn't even have your basic cheeseburger, right?"

Oh. Fuck. No, no no. This wasn't happening right now. They couldn't all be here again-

"Ey, if y'all don't git outta my way-"

"A-ah, _sumimasen_..."

Lovino panicked. He slipped off of his seat and ducked under the table, hoping that none of them had noticed just yet.

"L-Lovino? What's going on?"

"Ah- Shit!" the Italian swore as he jerked his head up and smacked it against the bottom of the table. "Dammit! Just- we have to go! I have to go!" he scrambled out from under the table, grateful that it was so dark.

Until he ran into a table.

"Fuck-fucking..."

He groped around desperately, until a hand grabbed his. "Here. I think the exit's this way." Antonio's voice still managed to be calm, even in the chaos that was once the peaceful, dark restaurant.

They pushed their way through people and chairs, trying to dodge tables as they reached the exit. Lovino burst through the door, taking a deep breath at finally being able to see again.

"Lovi..."

The Italian was still holding the Spaniard's hand. He ripped away immediately, cheeks burning.

"S-Sorry. I can't be in there though. I can't..."

Antonio stared at him, frowning.

"Who were all those people?"

Lovino gave an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, fuck if I know!" he turned and started walking, feeling a little depressed at how terrible the date had turned out.

... Not that he cared, really. Just a shame for Antonio.

"They've started following me, all the time! Where I go, they appear, I can't even-"

Antonio interrupted him as he followed behind, grabbing him by his shoulders.

"Lovino." he started, staring at him. If Lovino's face could flush any more, it would have. "Where would you feel safe?" the Spaniard asked him, eyeing him with a concerned look. Lovino scowled, before hesitantly answering him.

"... This way."

* * *

Antonio gave a look around as Lovino inserted the key into the building.

"So, what exactly is this place?"

Lovino smirked.

"A museum. Well, an art one. My _nonno_ had some huge part in it, donated most of the money to build and run it or something." he shrugged. "When he passed, Feli and I got almost everything, since we were his nearest relatives they could find."

Antonio nodded as they entered the gallery. It was beautiful - marble floors, expensive looking paintings, big sculptures every couple of feet.. It really had it all.

Lovino noticed the look on Antonio's face, and smiled somewhat triumphantly.

"So you've really never been in here before?"

Antonio shook his head and wandered over towards a painting, eyes wide. Lovino snorted and followed him.

"When we were little, grandpa used to take us here. I pretended to hate it, but I actually do really like art."

Antonio grinned a bit at that.

"Why do you do that?" he asked, giving the Italian a questioning gaze. Lovino quirked an eyebrow.

"Do what?"

"Say that you hate things when you really don't."

Lovino's cheeks started to redden at the question, and he turned his face away from the Spaniard.

"I-I have no fucking clue what you're talking about." he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Antonio chuckled.

"You're so adorable!" he said, barely managing to not burst out in laughter. Lovino said him a dark glare, and the Spaniard smiled sheepishly in response. "Sorry, but sometimes you act just like a little kid!"

Lovino huffed. "Way to call me a child on our first date."

The other man gave a slight smirk at that. "Oh, does that mean I get to make it up to you on a second date?"

If Lovino's blush from earlier had started to fade, it was now back with a vengeance. He crossed his arms again, trying to stay composed as he thought up an appropriate answer.

"I-I don't know, fuck... Face. Do you?"

Antonio smiled and stepped closer to Lovino, who sucked in a breath at what was to come.

In one smooth movement, Antonio leaned down and closed the space between their faces, pressing his lips to Lovino's. The Italian's eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the kiss, relishing the way Antonio smelled.

He was pretty sure he had never been that close to the Spanish man before.

Antonio finally broke the kiss, smirking.

"So I'll take that as a yes?"

* * *

**A/N**: Aaaand the super-long hiatus is over! I've been looking forward to continuing this fic for so long, I'm glad I finally got around to it. :)

I wouldn't expect the next chapter REALLY soon, but it definitely won't be another couple months again.

Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
